Serological evidence of Akabane virus infection in northern Israel in 2001

In February 2002 the first cases of a "blind newborn calves" syndrome with hydranencephaly appeared in Israel. Eighty-one serum samples, from 54 animals on farms where the syndrome was recorded and 27 others from unaffected farms were examined by neutralization of Akabane virus (AKAV, strain OBE-1) by the micro-titer method. Forty-seven of the 54 samples from the affected farms contained high serum neutralization titers against AKAV (mean SN titer 79.5 and +/- 44.7, standard deviation), whereas only one of the 27 samples from the unaffected farms was positive (titer of 8). These results suggest that the vector(s) of AKAV was circulating in Israel in August through December, 2001.